What happened next
by YoukaiNemisis
Summary: This is my ending to the Saiyuki Reload manga, which I just finished reading the scanlation of...  Damn you, TokyoPop! .


"Well then," Goyjo murmured around his cigarette. "What do we wanna to do with him?"

"Why don't we just grab that sutra from him?" Goku suggested, slamming a fist into his palm.

"Come to think of it, we could probably burn that thing, if we lit it." Goyjo's smoke dropped to the churned ground.

"That's so easy!" Goku cheered.

"Wow. That's an amazing thought process you have there," Ukoku Sanzo remarked, smiling that cruel smile of his.

"Do those guys have any idea what's going on?" Genjyo Sanzo wondered aloud, ignoring the blood dripping down his white sleeve and the agony from his broken bones.

"They probably do," commented Hakkai as he tightened his grip on Sanzo's waist, the only thing that was keeping the monk upright. "They know we're nothing but insects up against a power like that. But I suppose it's what's called 'pride'." Sanzo considered this for a moment. Then he grinned through the bruises and blood that covered his face.

"Bring it on." Ukoku's smile grew wider.

"Are you sure, little Genjyo? I've been holding back, honestly."

"Why am I always repeating myself? Bring it on. Or are you all talk?" Ukoku threw back his head and laughed, a surprisingly merry yet creepy sound that echoed through the shattered forest. Goku and Goyjo struck simultaneously, shakujo and nyoi-bo scything through the air. The weapons crashed to the tree stump where Ukoku had been when they began the strike, biting deep into the wood. The dark Sanzo's laughter didn't stop as he tumbled backwards in a graceful somersault, landing lightly on another of the tree stumps, courtesy of the demon Varaharal's razor-sharp wings.

"Too slow," Ukoku said in a mock sadness. "Care to try again?" Goku let out his war scream and leapt, swinging his staff. It was caught, once again, but Goku managed to keep his grip on it when Ukoku hammered a foot into his stomach, sending him flying. Goyjo's staff whistled through the air, cutting down towards the dark Sanzo's shoulder, but again the man wasn't there for the strike to connect. Gat was trying to reload with his one hand and his gun in his teeth when Ukoku pointed in his direction and snapped his fingers, sending the huge man flying, too.

Whilst this was going on, Sanzo was whispering in Hakkai's ear. They stared at each other for a few moments, green eyes meeting purple, before Hakkai gave a little sigh and nodded. "Are you sure..?" Sanzo's mouth tightened into a grim line, and he returned the nod. Hakkai eased away from the monk, making sure Sanzo could stand on his own before he removed his arm from around the white-clad waist. Golden light shimmered into being around his hands as the brunette moved away, and Sanzo staggered a little, but managed to stay upright on his two broken legs.

The priest snapped open the chamber on his revolver, allowing the spent shells to tumble to the ground. He silently cursed his shaking hands as he slotted new bullets into place and snapped the gun shut. "Now!" he snarled. Hakkai's hands lifted, curled, and a blast of light sped from his palms, slamming into the winged body that lay still on the forest floor.

"What the hell, Hakkai?" Goyjo yelped as he flew back from another futile assault. "We could use a little help over here!" Hakkai ignored him, sending another blast of light into the prone body.

"Hakkai-!" Goku yelped as the dark Sanzo hit him again, sending him tumbling into Goyjo.

"I don't frickin' believe it," Goyjo wheezed as he gasped for air and shoved Goku off his chest. "_He's healing him!_" And indeed Hakkai was, pouring chi into the unconscious demon as sweat rolled down his face.

"Hey, Hazel," Sanzo taunted, "get off your ass and do something!" The black, membranous wings twitched. "Where's your pride? Are you going to let that demon actually beat you? Get the fuck up!"

"Such... language... Mr. Sanzo," a cracked voice whispered. With a creaking and popping of joints, Hazel levered himself to his knees, dark wings dragging on the ground behind him. His body shook, and his blue eyes were wide with pain, but they were sane. Then Hazel twitched, and voiced a muffled scream, grabbing at his chest. "No!" he shrieked, "you won't! I won't let you! This is my body! Mine! _Mine!_" He clawed his way to his feet and stood, arms and legs akimbo, wings spread and trembling. "And I'll kill us both before I let you have it, you scum sucking demon!"

"Dear me," Ukoku murmured solicitously. "That was a little unexpected. Are you alright, my blue-eyed angel?"

"Shut up!" screamed Hazel, one wing scything through the air towards the dark Sanzo, who dodged it easily. "Shut up, you, you _crow!_" The western bishop threw himself at Ukoku, who smiled, and caught him. The dark haired Sanzo's fingers bit deep into Hazel's biceps, and he twisted, tossing the other man skyward. Those black wings spread wide, slowing Hazel's fall, and Gat was there, to stop the fall completely before Hazel could hit the ground. Blue eyes met yellow, and for a moment, it seemed as though master and bodyguard smiled at each other. Then Hazel spun, and charged again, joined by Gat, Goyjo and Goku.

Hakkai was on his knees, gasping for breath, and he barely looked up as Sanzo rested a hand on his shoulder, staining his shirt with the monk's blood. Quietly, the white robed Sanzo spoke. "Ready?" Hakkai sighed again.

"I suppose I am. But if..."

"I know," Sanzo replied, just as softly. "And I promise I'll make sure you don't." With that comment, he slipped the limiters from Hakkai's left ear. The man's body seemed to shimmer for a moment in the sunlight, his ears lengthening, tattoo's in the shape of vines scrawling their way across his body. His teeth and nails grew sharp and pointed, and his green eyes blazed.

"Excuse me, everyone," Hakkai called out, polite as ever. "Can you step back?" With that he slammed a hand to the debris on the forest floor, the vines from his body multiplying with terrifying speed, crawling over every available surface. But the ground around Ukoku remained free of the vines, the power of his sutra nullifying the attack.

"What was that supposed to do, hmm?" he asked curiously.

"Nothing to you," Hakkai admitted calmly, making sure his grip was secure. A heartbeat later, the air was full of flying projectiles, broken pieces of wood and other debris, slamming into the mystical shield around the dark Sanzo. The air around him turned dark, and Ukoku spun, trying to see. He just managed to block a kick from Goku, then a punch from Goyjo, and was caught by a wing sweep from Hazel, throwing him back to land on his ass on the ground.

"Ouch," Ukoku grumbled, climbing to his feet and tossing away the cigarette he'd managed to keep between his lips for most of the fight. "Now that's not very nice."

"_Nice?_" Goyjo sneered. "Who gave you idea we were _nice_, asshole?"

"We fight dirty when we need to," Goku added, gathering himself for another attack.

"Hell," Sanzo added, "we fight dirty when we _want_ to." The vines crawled, gathering more ammunition, and the men settled themselves into fighting stances with grim looks on their faces. Then the strangest thing happened. Ukoku Sanzo's robes began to chime. He dug a long-fingered hand inside the black fabric, and came out with a pocket watch. He snapped it open, silencing the chime and frowning down at the face.

"Oh, no," he sighed. "Look at the time. Gentlemen, it's been fun, but I've got an appointment." Sanzo's jaw dropped, and Goyjo looked like someone had just hit him between the eyes with a hammer.

"_W-what?_" Goku croaked. "You're leaving?"

"Don't worry," Ukoku said soothingly, smiling wickedly, "I'll come back another day." With that, he pressed two fingers to his sutra, murmured a few words, and vanished in a rush of hot air, leaving a stunned group behind him.

The silence only lasted for a few heartbeats before it was shattered by a scream of rage and hate from Hazel. The blue eyed bishop sank to his knees and howled at the sky. Hesitantly, Gat rested a hand on Hazel's shoulder, but the bishop lashed out, smacking the hand away. "Don't touch me," he snarled, the demon rising behind his eyes. "Get away from me!"

"Hazel," Gat rumbled. "Hazel, you have to hang on." But it was too late. Hazel bared his teeth and hissed.

"The brat's not here right now," the demon Varaharal sneered, "try again." Gat reached out again, and the demon swiped with his claws and wings. In a matter of seconds, the huge man was falling in two pieces to the ground, a surprised look on his face even as he disintegrated.

"Here we go again," Hakkai managed, getting to his feet and swiping away the sweat on his forehead with a clawed hand. The other he extended to Sanzo. "I'll take my ear cuffs back now." Without taking his eyes off the demon inhabiting Hazel's body, Sanzo gave them up. "The flaw in your otherwise _brilliant_ plan, Sanzo," Hakkai said as he assumed his human form. "What do we do if Hazel loses his own fight?"

"We kill him before he kills us?" Goku suggested, tightening his grip on his nyoi-bo.

"Good plan," Goyjo drawled, "since it worked so well last time." Hazel screamed again, then collapsed to all fours on the ruined ground, his wings drooping to cover him.

"Yes," he gasped, "kill me. Kill me now."

"Hazel? Is that you?" Goku demanded. Hazel managed to nod.

"I don't know... how much longer I can hold him. He is a very strong demon, Mr. Sanzo. He killed my master, and he killed Gat... Please... Please kill him before he can take me over again." He looked up, and his blue eyes locked with Sanzo's purple ones. "Please?" Jaw tight, Sanzo nodded and lifted his gun in his suddenly steady hand. Hazel smiled. "Thank you." A gun shot rang out, and silence fell again as Hazel crumpled to the churned earth, his smile still in place and a smoking hole in the centre of his forehead.

Sanzo took his own nosedive as his broken legs finally refused to hold him. "Sanzo!" Goku cried, hurrying to the blonde priest's side. Hakkai joined him a moment later, sinking to the ground and beginning to rip at Sanzo's robes to staunch his bleeding.

"I can't do much more," Hakkai admitted as he bandaged. "I'm done in." As if to prove his point, he swayed a little before shaking his head to clear it.

"It's alright, a few broken bones won't slow me down for too long," Sanzo croaked. Goyjo dropped beside the other three and pulled a smoke and a lighter from his pocket. He grinned at the expression on Sanzo's face, and, with a compassion he rarely showed, the crimson haired kappa fumbled out one of Sanzo's cigarettes, placed it between the priest's lips and lit it before lighting his own. The two took deep, contented drags as Hakkai flopped back, closing his eyes and leaning against a tree stump, wiping his hands tiredly on the ground.

Goku gave a groan as he prodded himself in the chest. "Dammit, he broke the same ribs Kougaiji did! Ow! It should grow back stronger, thought, right?"

Hakkai gave a little snort of laughter and didn't open his eyes. "Not in the least."

"You'll probably snap them again when you breath deep, monkey," Goyjo teased, leaning back on his elbows and closing his own crimson eyes. Instead of arguing, Goku spoke with a surprisingly tentative tone in his voice.

"Hey, Sanzo, what do we do when he comes back?"

"Tch." Sanzo opened one purple eye and pinned Goku with his glare. "We kill his ass." That was enough to make Goku grin.

"Oh, and Sanzo? I'm hungry!"

_**A/N: That was more satisfying than I thought it'd be, but I may rewrite at some point to make Hazel's death more vicious. I really don't like him – he flirts with **_**my**_** Sanzo far too much. *grin* Bring on **_**Reload Blast!****_ Please R&R, it makes me do a happy dance. - YoukaiNemisis_**


End file.
